Protest: Sultan, CAN call for calm

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) have jointly appealed to protesting Nigerians to sheathe their swords and give peace a chance to fix the challenges they had identified.

The religious bodies made the appeal under the umbrella of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) which is co-chaired by CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, and NSCIA President-General, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto.

The religious leaders, in a statement they jointly signed and made available to journalists in Abuja, on Friday, said they had observed with heavy heart the happenings in the country at the moment as regards nationwide protest tagged #Endbadgovernance.

“Sadly, the protest which commenced in a peaceful manner on Thursday, despite pleas from all quarters, took a turn for the worse and became violent later in the day. In just a few hours, lives and property were lost due to this unfortunate scenario. It is without doubt that there is hunger and hardship in the country but civil unrest is not the solution as it would only further aggravate the already frail state of the nation.”

The religious leaders thus appealed to Nigerians to call off the protest and give the Government a chance to redeem itself.

“In just one day, lives and enormous amount of property have been destroyed. Imagine if this continues for a prolonged period of time, only God knows the extent of damage that would be incurred.

“We call on the security agencies to be more professional in the discharge of their duties, while the government expedite action towards meeting the yearning and needs of the citizens. We need a peaceful and tranquil nation we can be proud to call our own.”